Native Afrika Voyages (Kenya)

Just wanted to share that my family and I just came back from Kenya and as you indicated, we had an experience of our lifetime.

Native Afrika Voyages You recommended was absolute professional and they were very responsive through out the trip, including when our car broke down during our last day.

We saw all Big 5, even got chased by a rhino (kids thought it was the coolest thing) and saw majestic river crossings.

Once again, thanks for your help.

Ella,

I cannot thank you enough for the recommendations and all of the information that you sent us. After reviewing your recommendations, we chose to go with Native Afrika Voyages. It was simply perfect. We have traveled to 68 countries around the world and used many tour operators and Native Afrika Voyages ranks as the best.

My wife and I wanted to go on an African safari with a reputable company that could handle all the logistics. Even though we’re seasoned world travelers, this would be our first trip to Africa and Kenya, and we wanted it to be perfect. My first contact at Native Afrika Voyages was Maureen, whom I emailed about eight months before our planned visit on May 9, 2026. I’m a meticulous planner who likes to sort out every detail, so I shared what we hoped to see and do in nine days and asked for her recommendations. Maureen took that info and created a custom itinerary that was absolutely perfect! Throughout the planning process, she answered every single email and question promptly, which was a huge factor in why I’d recommend Native Afrika Voyages to anyone booking a Kenyan safari.

Our requirements included private transportation in Nairobi and Kenya, all activities, fees, game drives, flights in and out of the Maasai Mara, and accommodations there. Native Afrika Voyages executed everything flawlessly. Maureen kept in constant touch via WhatsApp and always delivered on time according to plan.

During our time in Nairobi and the Maasai Mara, our private guide—now friend—Steven made this one of the best trips we’ve ever had across the 68 countries we’ve visited. Always professional, punctual, friendly, knowledgeable, honest, and kindhearted, he was a joy to be around. Steven ensured we had everything we needed and kept in touch through WhatsApp. The game drives and meals we shared were unforgettable. On the day we left, Steven took us to the Mara Serena Airstrip for our flight back to Nairobi and stayed with us until we boarded our Cessna Caravan. As we sped down the runway, he stood by his Land Cruiser waving goodbye to us. We both broke down in tears. Steven, Maureen and the entire Native Afrika Voyages team meant so much to us and deliver on the promise of a perfect African Adventure. If you want to experience the wonders of Kenya or Tanzania without any worries or concerns do yourself a favor and contact Maureen at Native Afrika Voyages in Nairobi. It will be the best decision you will make for a special trip to Africa!

Our Kenyan safari with Native Afrika Voyages was exceptional from start to finish and would not have been possible without Ella McKendrick, who first recommended the company. Ella shared a carefully curated list of local Kenyan and Tanzanian operators, helping us book directly with trusted local businesses, avoid unnecessary middlemen, and better support the local economy. Her Kenya-specific travel checklist was extremely helpful and made planning easy and stress-free.

From the first contact, Native Afrika Voyages were a pleasure to work with. Linet stood out for her prompt, clear, and professional communication. She took time to understand our budget, accommodation preferences, and interests, and designed a fully tailor-made safari. Her flexibility with instalment payments was greatly appreciated, as was the extra care she took in arranging our Nairobi airport transfers, giving us peace of mind from the moment we arrived.

Linet personally met us on the first day of the safari to walk us through the itinerary and safari guidelines, and we were given thoughtful welcome items, including hats and reusable water bottles. Our driver, Cyrus, was outstanding from the start — highly skilled, safety-focused, and extremely knowledgeable about Kenyan roads, wildlife, and animal behaviour.

Our time in the Masai Mara was extraordinary. We saw an incredible range of wildlife, including multiple lion encounters, elephants, buffalo, cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, and a leopard resting in a tree. Staying near a Maasai village also allowed for a meaningful cultural visit. Our final night in the Mara Triangle at the iconic Mara Serena Lodge was a highlight, with breathtaking scenery and unforgettable sunrise and sunset views. The safari concluded perfectly with a bush sundowner overlooking the Mara.

Cyrus later drove us to the Isebania border and personally assisted us through customs, ensuring a smooth handover to Safari Soles for the Tanzanian portion of our trip. The coordination between the two sister companies made the transition effortless.

Cyrus deserves special recognition for his skill, warmth, and deep knowledge, which made the safari both safe and enriching. By the end of the journey, he felt more like a friend than a driver.

We highly recommend Native Afrika Voyages for anyone planning a Kenyan safari. Thanks to Ella McKendrick’s guidance, her excellent resources, and the exceptional care of the Native Afrika Voyages team — especially Linet and Cyrus — this was a truly unforgettable safari experience.

Photo Credit, My travel companion: @aussiecobra

We appreciated all Ella’s insight and recommendations! She helped ease my worries when trying to find a reliable and reputable company to book things through that was located in Kenya. I also very much appreciated Ella’s guidebooks to help with need to know information and packing. It’s easy to miss something when planning and to have a quick reference guide was very handy.

As for Native Afrika Voyages that she recommended, WOW. They were outstanding. I was so very impressed with Jackie’s communication, planning and willingness to help. We were paired with Chris as our guide. He basically became part of the family on our journey and we couldn’t have been more grateful. He well exceeded our expectations. My kids are still saying that they miss him. He was very, very knowledgeable in all aspects of the Kenyan culture and animals. He was VERY good at spotting the animals and predicting their behaviors. I couldn’t say enough kind things about him. I would continue to recommend their services. We would be very willing to use them again on our next adventure to Kenya.

I just want to follow up by saying that my husband had found Ella’s information somewhere and I am very grateful. I was flailing, felt lost and stressing out when it came to planning our trip. Having someone else who’s experienced different companies and has the connections made a world of difference in my stress level when it came to planning. It made this trip happen for us and I am beyond thankful for that. It really was one of the most magical experiences.

Loved Ella’s recommendation. Our experience with Native Afrika Voyages in Kenya was great. They were quick to respond and helpful in every aspect.

I just want to say thanks a bunch, Ella! Your recommendations made my safari trip planning really easy. My friends and I went with your recommendation for Kenya which is Native Afrika Voyages. We enjoyed every bit of it. They regularly checked in with me before the trip, and customized the itinerary based on our preferences. The welcome kits (safari hats and water bottles) were a thoughtful touch that everyone in our group loved. The highlight for us, though, was our guide Brian @midasafaris. He was amazing, knowledgeable, friendly, and it honestly felt like we were traveling with a friend who just happens to know Kenya inside and out. Highly recommend to anyone planning a safari in Kenya.

Thank you Ella! What an amazing adventure. Seamless experience from beginning to end. It was great having your support. Your recommendations with Native Afrika Voyages was perfect. We were heartbroken to leave our twin centre vacation. Our guides were wonderful and we will miss their professionalism and great nature and humour. Planning another vacation this time to Sri Lanka and hoping you can help with that! Thank you, Katy

Thank you for all the help. Your website has been instrumental in my Safari trip planning. It helped me understand all that is involved in planning this & hot to go about this, including understanding costs & worth of each step, & what to expect vis-a-vis cost level.

And most importantly thanks for giving all good tour operator contacts. I have been very pleased with Native Afrika Voyages all along the trip right from planning stage to final execution. Will be giving them a review as well separately, as the Safari experience was incredible.

Thanks again. & Hope to use your website again in future for hopefully more safari trips.

Approaching Safaris by Ella for planning and booking our trip to Kenya was probably the best decision we made. Based on her recommendation, we booked with Native Afrika Voyages, who made our holiday memorable with exemplary service. Not only that, Ella was kind enough to answer many of our questions, sharing insights and useful tips for the safari. Highly recommended!

Safari and the services provided by Native Afrika Voyages were excellent. The booking team met us at the airport and Cyrus our driver was very knowledgeable and pampered to all our needs, even missing out on lunch one day, so we could watch hyenas try and pray on a dead baby giraffe being protected by her mum. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and would recommend Native Afrika Voyages and Cyrus to anyone thinking of doing a safari in Kenya.

Ella was a great help for us I finding the right safari and choosing the right parks to visit. Not just her videos but her personalized email recommendations helped us navigate through a dizzying number of options.

Her recommendations were spot on and we knew what to expect and got just that from our safari operator and then some.

Do follow her on YouTube. Her content is informative, engaging and entertaining.

Smooth process of getting quotes from a variety of vendors and a great safari with Native Afrikan Voyages! Got to see all of the big five plus giraffes, hippos, and plenty of wildebeest!